Storms brought additional rain and widespread flooding and debris flows, as well as mountain snow.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS STO wrote it up.
Storms brought additional rain and widespread flooding and debris flows, as well as mountain snow.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Sacramento, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 16, 8:24 PM PST, 3 hours 36 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Sacramento CA 824 PM PST Thu Feb 16 2017 .Synopsis... Wet weather returns with several storm system passages expected through next week. Sierra mountain travel issues at times. Gusty winds Friday and Monday. Increased flood threat Monday. && . Discussion (Tonight through Sunday)... A short break in rain this evening with more rain expected to move into the region late tonight and Friday morning. The center of the surface low will move to near the Bay Area Friday morning and generate strong winds over the interior from around Sacramento southward. The winds should taper early in the evening. As the low moves closer to the coast rain will spread from a southerly direction to a northerly direction during the day. Most of the rain will occur Friday and Friday night with the rain tapering to showers by Saturday morning. Snow levels look fairly high with this system on Friday near 7000 feet during most of the day and at least into the early evening before lowering to near 5000 feet later at night. There will be a chance for some showers Saturday and Sunday ahead of the next round of rain and strong winds due to move into the interior later Sunday night. Winds will be much stronger and widespread with heavy rainfall amounts for the foothills and mountains than compared with the Friday system. .Previous Discussion (Today through Sunday)... Current model analysis and water vapor imagery shows the shortwave trough that brought morning rain moving across the Sierra in the early afternoon. The trough base was still working across the Sierra, which was causing some heavier showers and some isolated thunderstorms in the northern Sacramento Valley. Surface pressure gradient in the northern Sacramento Valley has continued to cause some gusty south winds in the northern Valley up to 40 mph at times, with isolated wind gusts up to 30 mph for the central valley (in particular the Oroville and Chico areas). Latest model guidance has suggested that wind gusts in the northern Valley will continue through mid to late afternoon before diminishing this evening as the shortwave trough aloft passes through the region. Model guidance is still in good agreement to having an upper low deepening off the coast and moving onshore Friday evening, which will bring more rounds for scattered precipitation for the day and increasing chances for Friday evening. With a stronger low level jet associated with the incoming upper trough and tightening pressure gradient, the southern Sacramento valley and northern San Joaquin valley will likely see increased wind gusts Friday through Friday night. Snow amounts will increase for the Sierra at elevations higher than 5500 feet and could see heavier snow accumulations Friday afternoon through Saturday morning. The upper level trough continues to linger through the weekend, which will keep chances for rain for the valley and snow for the higher elevations. However, most of the storm is expected to affect southern California during the weekend. && .EXTENDED DISCUSSION (Monday THROUGH Thursday) Extended models continue to show the strongest system in the forecast period moving in by early Monday and continuing into Tuesday. While there have been some variations in the exact track of the storm, confidence is high for moderate to heavy precipitation for the northern Sierra/southern Cascades. What is trickier is which area will be the focus of heaviest precipitation, whether it will be over the Feather River basin or over the American River basin. It looks like the most favorable area will be over the Feather River Basin, with 4 to 8 inches of rain/water equivalent for Monday and Tuesday. The American River Basin (I80 and Highway 50 corridor) should see water equivalent/rain of about 4 to 6 inches, with 1 to 2 feet of snow around and above pass levels. The Valley is forecast to receive about 1-3 inches of rain. This could bring some flooding issues. Additional runoff in the mountains could bring additional mudslides. Snow levels are another challenging aspect of the forecast. During the day Monday, snow levels are forecast to climb as warm, moist air moves up from the southwest, in the 6000-7000 foot range over the southern Cascades and mountains of western Plumas County, the 7500-8000 foot range for the northern Sierra. Snow levels will drop some Monday night, but exactly how quickly and how far remains uncertain, due to large model run timing differences. The latest GFS drops snow levels to 3500-4000 feet by daybreak Tuesday, while the ECMWF keeps levels around 6000-6500 feet. These levels will affect how much precipitation ends up as snow, and how much is runoff. For now, am going with a blend of both, somewhat favoring the ECMWF for now, which would limit heavier snow to higher elevations. In addition to precipitation, strong, gusty winds are expected Monday. Gusts of 40 to 50 mph are possible in the Valley, gusting over 55 mph in the Sierra. This coupled with saturated wet ground could bring down trees, causing power outages. The main upper trough is forecast to move inland later Tuesday into Wednesday resulting in showers across the area, with lowering snow levels and lighter precipitation amounts. Snowfall could cause additional travel problems across the mountains, with snow levels dropping to 3500-4000 feet. A period of drier weather is expected for late in the week, with mainly just some lingering snow showers in the mountains. EK && && .AVIATION... Winds increasing at TAF sites after 15Z strongest from around KSMF southward. Rain spreading over the region late tonight and Friday will bring LIFR/IFR conditions to the mountains and mostly MVFR to local IFR for the valley. && .STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from 7 AM Friday to 10 AM PST Saturday for West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada-Western Plumas County/Lassen Park. Wind Advisory from 7 AM to 10 PM PST Friday for Carquinez Strait and Delta-Northern San Joaquin Valley-Southern Sacramento Valley. &&
The Beale AFB radar (KBBX), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:00 UTC.
13 flood, 4 strong wind, 1 funnel cloud, 1 winter storm, 1 flash flood, 1 high wind, 1 debris flow. Local standard time, as filed.
Two men and a woman were trying to get to their home in a flooded area via a canoe but it tipped in the process, deputies said. Tehama County Sheriff's Boating Safety crews responded and rescued one man and a woman, however, the other man drowned.
The town of Maxwell, CA started flooding near 2:00 am due to rain in the last day causing local creeks to rise. The Colusa County Sheriff's Office posted a voluntary evacuation notice at 8:30 am, with some people evacuated by boat. Interstate 5 near Maxwell was under a foot of water, causing travel disruption. |Water inundated most of the homes in a 9-block area in Maxwell. Damage to an elementary school, a sheriff's substation, roads and 78 homes could total $7 million, according to the Colusa County Office of Emergency Services.
A tree fell on and damaged a home on the 58000 block of Portage Place, Stockton.. There was a 52 mph wind gust reported at Stockton Metropolitan Airport, with strong winds continuing through the morning into the afternoon.
Fallen tree limbs blocked North Orchard Ave., Vacaville for several hours. There was a 40 mph wind gust reported at Vacaville Nut Tree Airport, with strong winds through the morning and afternoon.
Wind brought down trees and tree branches, knocking down power lines and causing outages. There was a 44 mph wind gust reported at Sacramento Executive Airport, with strong winds through the morning and afternoon.
There was a 52 mph wind gust reported at Stockton Metropolitan Airport, with strong winds continuing through the morning into the afternoon. Wind blew a tree down into the road, blocking travel.
A 45-year-old woman drowned after driving around road closures on County Road FF, and into floodwaters northwest of the town of Orland. The drowning was reported about 9:05 a.m. on the rural county road, which is prone to flooding. The woman's SUV was swept down Hambright Creek. When rescue teams responded, the water was so deep there was no sign of a vehicle, and a dive team was necessary for the recovery.
Flooding issues on Paynes Creek Slough caused Kaer Ave. to be impassable.
Flooding occurred in around the town of Willows along with portions of HWY 39 and I-5.
Flooding in the Corning-Vina area with the Woodson RV Park evacuated.
Flooding with evacuations in 2 RV parks.
There was a significant hole in a roadway due to an underground culvert failure.
A funnel cloud was sited near Nicolaus. No touch down was observed, or damage reported.
Flooding from Dry Creek in Rio Linda from around 6th St. to Cherry Lane to Rio Linda Blvd, causing road closures. Voluntary evacuation of homes in the area.
Several large trees blocking Big Bend Road.
Winding Way closed from Valhalla Dr. to Walnut Ave. due to flooding of Arcade Creek.
Dry Creek flooding blocking Walerga Rd. near intersection with PFE Rd.
Flores Ave. was closed due to flooding.
There was 13 of new snow, 4.89 liquid equivalent over 24 hours.
A levee breach 5-10 feet wide occurred along the San Joaquin River, 6 miles south of Lathrop. An evacuation was ordered by San Joaquin OES for south of Woodward Ave., west of Union Rd., and north of Mortensen. |Most of the areas affected are rural-agricultural areas.|As of approximately 21:00, the levee breach was plugged with rock and soil. Rip rap was applied on the waterside for wave wash protection. There were 10 structures were located near the inundation area.
Preliminary Mesowest data from the summit of Ward Mountain in the northern Sierra at Squaw Valley ski resort showed a gust to 199 mph (SUMAM Mesowest station, elevation 8643 ft). The gust occurred between 10:45 and 11:00 pm PST on Monday, February 20, 2017. This wind gust is being considered by NCEI as potentially the strongest wind gust on record in California. Reports from the ski resort indicate some 3 foot wide trees were downed, as well as some broken windows. |A nearby station had a gust to 193mph, at Sierra Crest(SIBSV Mesowest station, elevation 8700 ft).
A large sinkhole on US50 near Bridal Veil Falls Rd. closed the westbound lanes. The damage remained through the spring and requires large scale repairs, with four lanes of the road have been reduced to two, one lane in each direction.|Crews demolished the westbound lanes, and stabilized the slope down to the river and and began erecting a retaining wall that will hold up the new westbound lanes.|The process will likely take several months and could cost an estimated $6.5 million.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood, Tehama | 2017-02-17 | 35 | Male | In Water | Indirect |
| Flood, Glenn | 2017-02-18 | 45 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 2017
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 682199, 682792, 682918, 682920, 682921, 682923, 682200, 682793, 682794, 682795, 682796, 682798, 682799, 682800, 682802, 682803, 682804, 682805, 688573, 682924, 682839, 682925.